Automated pizza assembly system

ABSTRACT

An apparatus is provided for assembling a pizza, including a pizza sauce spreading station, a cheese spreading station and a pepperoni applying station. A robot including a stationary base and an articulating arm having a gripper attached to the end is operable to grip a pizza pan having pizza dough therein to allow said robot to move the pan throughout the pizza sauce spreading station, and to a rotary dial system including the cheese spreading station and the pepperoni applying station. The robot arm manipulates the pizza pan in the sauce spreading station and the rotary dial system manipulates the pizza pan in the cheese station and the pepperoni applying station to properly distribute the cheese and pepperoni on the pizza.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/320,337, filed Apr. 2, 2010 and U.S. Provisional Application No.61/308,487, filed Feb. 26, 2010. The entire disclosures of each of theabove applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to pizza assembly and, more particularly,to an automated pizza assembly system.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art and also provides ageneral summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosureof its full scope or all of its features.

The assembly of pizzas in a retail establishment is a labor-intensiveendeavor. Some of the steps performed by the worker may include themaking of the dough; the preparation of a pizza pan; the spreading ofthe dough in the pizza pan; the applying of sauce, cheese, and othertoppings; the moving of the pizza to the oven for baking; the removal ofthe pizza from the oven; the slicing of the pizza; and boxing the pizzafor delivery to a customer. The automation of one or more of these stepsmay improve the efficiency of the pizza assembly process.

Additionally, the automation of one or more of the steps in the pizzaassembly process may result in a more consistent quality for theassembled pizza. In particular, the quantity of sauce, the spreading ofthe toppings, the quantity and spacing of the toppings, etc. may be moreconsistently realized through the use of an automated process.

Accordingly, it would be advantageous to utilize an automated pizzaassembly system for the making of pizzas to be sold in a retailestablishment. The automated pizza assembly system may advantageouslymake fresh pizzas for immediate cooking and delivery to customersdesiring to purchase such pizzas. Additionally, the use of the automatedpizza assembly system may allow for workers at the retail establishmentto perform other value added tasks while the pizza assembly is beingperformed in an automated manner. As a result, a better utilization ofthe available manpower may be realized at the retail establishment. Theautomated pizza assembly system may be utilized in conjunction with acomputer program or the like that can command the automatic preparationof the desired quantity of pizzas with the desired toppings thereon toautomatically meet actual or anticipated customer demand. Additionally,the use of an automated pizza assembly system may improve the speed atwhich the pizzas can be made, thereby improving throughput. The improvedthroughput can be especially important during rush times wherein thedemand for pizzas is greater than other times.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. The description and specific examples in this summaryare intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended tolimit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of an automated pizza assemblysystem according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the automated pizza assembly system ofFIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 4-6 are elevation views of the automated pizza assembly system ofFIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary flow chart of the steps that may be performed bythe automated pizza assembly system;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the pepperoni station according to the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of the pepperoni stationshowing the insertion of pepperoni sticks therein;

FIG. 10 is an exploded assembly view of the pepperoni station of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the slicing assembly of the pepperonistation of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a exploded perspective view of the slicing assembly of thepepperoni station of FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a fragmented side view of a portion of the pepperoni stationof FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of a portion of the pepperoni station;

FIGS. 15 and 16 are side views of the pepperoni station with the pizzapan in various positions relative to the pepperoni station;

FIGS. 17A-D are bottom plan views of the pepperoni station of FIG. 8showing the various movements of the slicing blades;

FIG. 18 is a top plan view of a portion of the pepperoni station showingthe various movements in the applying of pepperonis to the pizza;

FIGS. 19A-D are top plan views of a portion of the pepperoni stationshowing the rotation of the pizza pan beneath the pepperoni station andthe resulting pepperoni pattern achieved on the pizza;

FIG. 20 is a simplified schematic representation of a control system forthe automated pizza assembly system;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a pizza sauce nozzle assembly accordingto the principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the pizza sauce nozzleassembly shown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a plan view of the pizza sauce nozzle assembly shown in FIG.21;

FIG. 24 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the pizza sauce nozzleassembly shown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the cheese station;

FIG. 26 is a top plan view of the cheese hopper of the cheese station;

FIG. 27 is a top perspective view of the cheese station;

FIG. 28 is a detailed plan view of the cheese hopper drive assembly witha cover plate removed;

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view of the cheese station shown in FIG.25;

FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view taken along an axis generallytransverse to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 29;

FIG. 31 is a front plan view of the cheese station shown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 32 is a bottom plan view of the cheese station shown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 33 is a top plan view of a rotary dial topping system according toan alternative embodiment;

FIG. 34 is a side plan view of a pepperoni station with a rotary dialsystem according to the embodiment of FIG. 33;

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of the rotary dial system with the cheeseand pepperoni stations for use without a robot;

FIG. 36 is a side plan view of an alternative cheese station with arotary dial system;

FIG. 37 is a perspective view of the cheese station and rotary dialsystem shown in FIG. 36;

FIG. 38 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the cheesestation of FIG. 36;

FIG. 39 is a top plan view of the hopper of the cheese station;

FIG. 40 is a partially cut-away side plan view of the cheese station ofFIG. 36;

FIG. 41 is a detailed cut-away view of the volumetric measuring deviceof the cheese station of FIG. 36;

FIG. 42 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of the cheese stationof FIG. 36;

FIG. 43 is a cross-sectional view of cheese station of FIG. 36;

FIG. 44 is a side view of the rotary dial system, cheese and pepperonistations incorporated into a refrigeration module according to theprinciples of the present invention;

FIG. 45 is a side plan view of the manual station rack system and robotarm; and

FIGS. 46-48 are side plan views of the gripper of the robot arm engagingthe pan in various orientations.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, an exemplary automated pizza assembly system 50according to the present disclosure is shown. System 50 allows for theautomated custom assembly of pizzas. System 50 includes a variety ofcomponents and stations that perform various functions in the assemblyprocess. The specific components and stations utilized in system 50 canvary depending upon the desired degree of automation in the pizzaassembly process. By way of non-limiting example, system 50 may includea rack station 100, a dough pressing station (not shown), a saucestation 300, a cheese station 400, a pepperoni station 500, a manualstation 600, an oven conveyor system 700 and/or an oven 800 (see FIG.3). A monitor and/or a control panel 52 can be provided in the manualstation 600 to provide instructions for adding toppings to a pizza.

System 50 may also include a robot 60 that is operable to move a pizzapan 62 between the various stations, as described below. One or morestations associated with system 50 (such as the sauce, cheese andpepperoni stations) may be disposed within a refrigerated compartment900 to provide a controlled environment to maintain the food producttherein at a desired temperature or other environmental conditions.Robot 60, as shown in FIG. 8, may include a stationary base 66 and anarticulating arm 68. Arm 68 can be comprised of a plurality of segmentsthat allow articulation about various axes, as needed to provide thedesired movement of pan 62. A suitable robot 60 can and may be obtainedfrom Fanuc Robotics America, Inc. of Rochester Hills, Michigan. Robot 60includes a gripper 70 attached to the end of arm 68. Gripper 70 isoperable to grip pan 62 to allow robot 60 to move pan 62 throughout thevarious stations of system 50. In some embodiments, base 66 may bemovable along tracks within system 50 to provide additional range ofmotion.

Rack system 100 may include multiple racks 104 that are each operable toreceive multiple pans 62 in a vertically spaced apart and/orside-by-side orientation. Racks 104 may be sloped within rack station100 such that pans inserted on the exterior of the racks are gravity fedto the interior portion 74 of system 50 so that robot 60 can remove pans62 therefrom. The exterior of racks 104 can be facing the exterior ofsystem 50 so that they can be loaded by a worker while system 50 isoperating. In particular, with two racks 104 facing the exterior, aworker can load pans 62 with pizza dough therein into racks 104 whilesystem 50 is operable to remove pans 62 containing dough therein fromracks 104 on interior 74. In this manner, system 50 can be supplied withpans 62 with pizza dough therein without stopping the assembly of pizzasby system 50. By way of non-limiting example, twelve vertically stackedracks can be used for receiving four pans each so that the rack system100 can have a capacity of forty-eight pans, although greater or fewerracks can be used for receiving a greater or fewer number of pans.Alternative arrangements of the rack system can be utilized includingrotating racks that are rotatable for taking pans from the exterior toan interior of the system. A still further alternative can use pans thatare stacked and a mechanism can be utilized to separate the bottom panwhile the remainder of the stack is supported.

Referring to FIG. 7, the steps of the pizza assembly process 78 whichsystem 50 may undergo to make a pizza are shown. System 50 can begin byremoving a pan 62 with dough therein from rack station 100, as indicatedin block 80. Next, the dough within pan 62 may be pressed in an optionalautomated dough pressing station, as indicated in block 82. It should beappreciated that the inclusion of the automated dough pressing stationis optional and that the dough within pan 62 may already be pressedprior to pan 62 being inserted into rack station 100. System 50 can movepan 62 to sauce station 300 wherein pizza sauce is supplied to the doughin pan 62, as indicated in block 84. After applying sauce, system 50 canmove pan 62 to cheese station 400 wherein cheese is applied to the doughin pan 62, as indicated in block 86. After applying cheese, system 50can move pan 62 to a topping station to apply toppings thereto, asindicated in block 88. The applying of toppings to the dough in pan 62can be done in one or more stations. For example, pepperoni can beapplied to the dough in pan 62 at pepperoni station 500. After thetoppings are applied to the dough in pan 62, system 50 can place pan 62in the oven (not shown) or on a conveyor for carrying the pizza throughthe oven for baking of the pizza, as indicated in block 90.Alternatively, as indicated in block 90, system 50 can place pan 62 intomanual station 600. In manual station 600, a worker can apply additionaltoppings or perform additional tasks to the dough within pan 62 tocreate a desired pizza. The monitor/control panel 52 can give the workerinstructions as to which toppings to add. The worker can then place pan62 in the oven or on an oven conveyor for baking of the pizza.

Manual station 600 can include a work surface 602 and storage bins 604containing a variety of additional toppings that may be utilized tocreate a customized pizza. The storage bins 604 can be refrigerated tomaintain the toppings at a desired temperature. The manual station 600can include rack storage 606 below the work surface 602 for storingprepared pizzas and awaiting the addition of specially ordered toppings.As shown in FIG. 45, the rack storage 606 can be sloped downwardly in anoutward direction so that the pizza pans placed in the rack storage bythe robot arm 68 are gravity fed outward to the worker standing at themanual station 600. The use of manual station 600 to apply additionaltoppings may allow for simplification of system 50 wherein system 50 isconfigured to apply a limited variety of toppings, such as thosecorresponding to the most common types of pizzas ordered, therebyenabling a more efficient and less complicated system 50. The limitationof the variety of toppings that can be automatically applied by system50 may allow for a simplification of the system 50 such that a lesscomplex and less costly system is realized.

As shown in FIGS. 45-48, the gripper 70 of the robot arm 68 can includean electronic eye-type sensor 72 that emits a light beam 74 for sensingwhether a pan exists in a desired location on a rack 606 where the robot60 is intending to place a pan 62. The gripper 70 can also include twodifferent grip portions 70A and 70B that allow the gripper 70 to pick upa pan 62 and allow a greater amount of motion for moving pans 62. Inparticular, as shown in FIG. 47, the upper gripper portion 70A can beused for moving pans 62 at lower heights while the lower gripper portion70 B which is formed generally identical to the upper gripper portion70A and can be used to move the pans 62 to higher heights. Because thewrist portion of the arm 68 has limited mobility, the presence of upperand lower gripper portions 70A and 70B allow for a greater range ofmovement of the pans without adding complexity to the robot arm 68. Eachgripper portion 70A and 70B is designed to be manipulated to receive thepan profile with an upper thumb portion 74 received over the upper lipof the pan 62 while a lower finger 76 is received under the pan.

A dough pressing station, when included in system 50, allows for themechanical pressing of the dough within a pan 62. The pressing of thedough can alter the form of the dough from a ball or lump into thedesired size and orientation to form a pizza within pan 62. An exemplarydough pressing system is commercially available from Rheon AutomaticMachinery Co. Ltd., Machine Model PM001.

With reference to FIGS. 33 the pans 62 can be picked from the racksystem 152 by a robot 60, as described previously. A pizza dough can bespread in the pan 62 prior to entry in the rack system 152. The robot 60can place the pans 62 on a rotary dial topping system 154, best shown inFIG. 34. The rotary dial topping system 154 can be at least partiallydisposed within the refrigerated enclosure 900 and includes a rotaryplatform 158 that includes a plurality of pan receiving locations 160thereon. The rotary platform 158 can be motor driven and controlled tomove the pans 62 between a saucing station 300, a cheese station 400,and a pepperoni station 500, as described in detail herein. The panreceiving locations 160 can each include a separate rotary platform 162that allows each pan 62 to be rotated while located in each of the sauce300, cheese 400, and pepperoni 500 stations. The position of the rotaryplatform 158 and the position of each of the separate rotary platforms162 can be separately controlled during operation of each station 300,400, 500, and in between operations.

Rotation of the rotary platform 158 and each separate rotary platforms162 can be performed by a motor M disposed below the respective platform(see FIG. 36). While the pizza pan 62 is located on the rotary platform158, the sauce is applied to the dough in the sauce station 300. In thesauce station 300, the pan 62 can be rotated by the separate rotaryplatform 162 to assist in evenly applying the sauce or alternatively thepan can be moved by the robot arm while the sauce is being applied priorto insertion of the pan into rotary dial topping system 154. When therotary platform 158 is rotated approximately 120° to the cheese station400, the cheese station is operated to apply cheese to the dough in themanner described in detail herein. The pizza pan 62 can be rotated inthe cheese station by the separate rotary platform 162 to aid in evendistribution of the cheese.

When the rotary platform is rotated approximately 120° to the pepperonistation 500, the pepperoni station 500 is operated to slice and applypepperoni directly to the pizza pan 62. The pan 62 can be rotatablyindexed relative to the pepperoni station by the separate rotaryplatform 162 so that the pepperoni is distributed around the pizza panin a desired pattern evenly distributed over the entire pizza using aseries of sequential slicing operations, as will be described in detailherein.

When the rotary platform 158 is rotated approximately another 120°, thepan 62 can be removed by the robot 60 and placed on the oven conveyortrack 700 that carries pizza pan 62 through the oven 800, oralternatively, can place the pan 62 on the manual station 600 for theaddition of added toppings.

With reference to FIG. 35, it can be seen that the rotary dial toppingsystem 154 can be utilized without the robot 60. In particular, anoperator 174 can insert pans 62 onto the separate rotary platforms 162and the rotary platform 158 can be operated either automatically orthrough operator control to move between the various stations 300, 400,500. The operator 174 can then remove the completed pizzas for insertionin the oven 800 for baking. Thus, the rotary dial topping system 154 canbe used to aid in the pizza assembly process without requiring the addedexpense of the robot 60.

The sauce station 300, cheese station 400, and pepperoni station 500 areeach disposed in the refrigerated enclosure 900 for maintaining each ofthe toppings at a refrigerated temperature. As seen in FIG. 36, the pan62 can be received under the front bottom edge of the enclosure 900 tolimit the escape of refrigerated air from the enclosure 900. Theenclosure 900 can also include transparent panels 156A, such as glass onone or more sides to allow the operator to visually inspect the pizzaassembly operation. The panels 156A can be openable to allow easy accessto the stations for refilling, maintaining, and cleaning of eachstation. The panels 156A can be sealed similarly to a refrigerator doorfor improved efficiency.

Sauce station 300 is operable to apply sauce to the dough in pan 62. Thesauce can be pumped through a nozzle 302 and onto the dough. The nozzle302 may be stationary while robot 60 manipulates pan 62 beneath thenozzle 302 so that a desired coverage of sauce on the dough is realized.The pumping of the sauce may be continuous or in spurts or batches sothat the desired coverage of the sauce on the dough is realized.

The nozzle 302 is illustrated in FIGS. 21-24 and includes a nozzle body304, a distributor 306 (FIGS. 22-24), and a clamp 308. The nozzle body304 includes an inlet opening 310 that can include a flange 312 that isadapted to receive a pipe, tube, or other conduit for delivering pizzasauce to the nozzle 302. The inlet opening 310 is connected to afrustoconical wall portion 314 that flares outward and terminates at aclamping edge 316, best illustrated in FIGS. 22 and 24.

The distributor 306 includes a generally circular body having an outerclamping edge 318 that opposes the clamping edge 316 of the nozzle body304. The distributor 306 is provided with a plurality of apertures 320extending therethrough and a frustoconical mid-section 322 that isconvex and extends toward the nozzle body 304. The apertures 320 can bespaced from one another a predetermined amount and can all lie within aconcentric circle so that the apertures can be equally spaced from acenter of the distributor 308. Alternatively, other aperture patternscan be used to provide a desired sauce distribution. The apertures 320of the nozzle can be aligned on a concentric circle having a diameter ofbetween 2 and 6 inches.

The clamp 308 includes two semi-cylindrical clamp portions 330, 332hinged together by a pivot pin 334 at a first end thereof, and having athumb screw 336 attached to opposite ends thereof for securing the clamp308 in engagement with the clamp flange 316 and clamp flange 318 of thenozzle body 304 and distributor 306, respectively. The thumb screw 336is pivotally attached to a free end of the clamp portion 332 by a pivotpin 340, which the thumb screw 336 threadedly engages. By tightening thethumb screw 336, the clamp 308 can become tightly engaged with thenozzle body 304 and distributor 306.

During operation of the sauce station 300, sauce is pumped through ahose or other conduit to the nozzle 302. The sauce passes through theinlet opening 310 and then flows radially outward, between frustoconicalwall portion 314 and frustoconical mid-section 322, toward the apertures320 and then through the apertures 320 onto the pizza crust disposedbeneath the nozzle 302. The frustoconical mid-section 322 of thedistributor 306 prevents the accumulation of sauce at the center of thenozzle 302. While the sauce is being dispersed through the nozzle 302,the robot 60 manipulates the pan 62 beneath the nozzle 302 so that evencoverage of the sauce is obtained. According to an embodiment of thepresent application, the robot arm manipulates the pan 62 in a firstlarge circle so that sauce is distributed along a band adjacent to theouter crust. The robot arm then moves the pan 62 in a smaller circle sothat a second concentric band of sauce is then dispersed onto the crust.Preferably, each band has a width of between 2 and 6 inchescorresponding to the location and spacing of the apertures 320.Additional concentric bands or a direct single shot of sauce can beapplied to the center of the pizza dough as necessary to obtain completecoverage of the pizza dough, as desired.

For purposes of cleaning, the nozzle 302 can be disassembled byreleasing the clamp 308 from the nozzle body 304 and distributor 306.Each of the components can then be separately washed and thenreassembled for future use.

Cheese station 400 is operable to apply cheese to the dough or sauce anddough in pan 62. The cheese may be weighed so that a consistent quantityof cheese is applied. The pan 62 may be moved or rotated by the rotaryplatform 162 of the rotary dial topping system 154 during the applyingof the cheese so that a desired coverage of cheese on the dough isrealized. The cheese may be included in pre-weighed packages or besupplied from a bulk source and weighed or measured individually foreach pizza that is to be assembled.

The cheese station 400, according to one embodiment, is illustrated inFIGS. 25-32. The cheese station 400 includes a hopper 402, a gravimetricmeasuring device 404 that receives the cheese from the hopper 402 anddumps the cheese through a dispersing mechanism 406 that distributes thecheese evenly onto the pizza dough.

The hopper 402 includes four walls including end wall 402A, 402B andsidewalls 402C, 402D. The sidewalls 402C, 402D taper inward at a bottomportion thereof to define a trough 410 (FIG. 26) that receives a feedscrew 412 having helical threads 414 that are designed, upon rotation,to feed shredded, chopped, diced or otherwise pre-cut cheese to acentral aperture 416 in the bottom of the trough 410. An additionaldrive spindle 418 is provided in the cheese hopper 402, at a locationspaced above the feed screw 412, and includes a plurality of agitatingarms 418A extending radially therefrom in order to agitate the cheesethat is received in the cheese hopper 402 to break up any clumps thereinso as to allow the cheese to be delivered to the trough portion 410 tobe fed by the feed screw 412 to the aperture 416.

As illustrated in FIG. 28, the feed screw 412 and drive spindle 418 aredriven by a motor 420 (best shown in FIG. 25) that drives a drive pulley421 that is connected to a driven pulley 422 provided on the screw shaft412 and a driven pulley 423 provided on the drive spindle 418. Rotationof the drive motor 420 causes drive pulley 421 to drive the drive belt424 to drive the pulleys 422 and 423 for driving the screw shaft 412 anddrive spindle 418 to agitate the cheese in the cheese hopper 402, and tofeed it to the aperture 416 in the bottom of the cheese hopper 402. Abelt tensioning mechanism 425 is provided for maintaining tension on thedrive belt 424. The belt tension mechanism 425 can include a spring biasto ensure a predetermined level of tension on the belt 424. Additionaladjustment of the belt tensioning device 425 can also be provided. Thedrive mechanism can be provided with a slip clutch to allow the drivetrain to slip when a predetermined amount of resistance is applied tothe drive pulley 421 so as to prevent injury to an operator, or damageto the components.

The drive spindle 418 and screw thread 412 are designed to be connectedto the pulleys 423, 422, respectively, by a hexagonal or splined matingengagement to facilitate easy alignment and disengagement therebetween.In particular, the cheese hopper 402 can be lifted up from the basestructure 460 to facilitate easy cleaning of the hopper 402, feed screw412, and agitating drive spindle 418.

With reference to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 29, the cheese thatis fed through the aperture 416 is received in a vessel 428 of thegravimetric measuring device 404. The gravimetric measuring device 404is operable to activate the drive motor 420 for activating the screwthread 412 and drive spindle 418 to feed more cheese into the vessel 428until a predetermined weight is received in the vessel 428. Uponachieving the predetermined weight, the drive motor 420 is automaticallyturned off. The gravimetric measuring device 404 can include a balancearm 430 pivotally received on a pivot support 432 with a mass 434disposed at an end of the arm 430. When the vessel 428 is empty, themass 434 causes the vessel 428 to lift in an upward direction, which cancause an activation switch to be operated to drive the motor 420. As theweight of the cheese received in the vessel 428 balances with the mass434, the vessel 428 will begin to move downward, thereby deactivatingthe switch which then turns off the drive motor 420 so that no morecheese is fed through the aperture 416 in the hopper 402.

When a pizza pan having a pizza dough thereon is presented to the cheesestation 400 beneath the dispersing mechanism 406, a servo motor 438(best shown in FIG. 25) is activated to cause the vessel 428 to dump itscontents through the cheese distribution mechanism 406. Simultaneouswith, or prior to, the activation of the motor 438, the cheesedispersing mechanism 406 is also activated. The cheese dispersingmechanism 406 includes a cylindrical body 440 having a distributionshaft 442 received therein. The dispersing shaft 442 includes aplurality of radially extending arms 444 which are rotated to break upthe cheese clumps as the cheese is dumped from the vessel 428 throughthe cylindrical body 440. The rotational speed of the dispersing shaft442 is designed such that the arms 444 break up any cheese clumpspassing through the cylindrical body 440. As the cheese exits thecylindrical body 440, an upper shield member 450 is provided in the formof a cylindrical wall that causes any radially projecting cheeseparticles to bounce off in a random dispersing pattern, and then to passthrough outer guide cylinder 452 that is disposed adjacent to the pizzadough so as to prevent the cheese particles from being dispersed beyondthe outer wall of the lower cylinder 452.

The vessel 428 is designed to be received in an annular ring 462supported at the end of the balance arm 430 that allows for easy removalof the vessel 428 for cleaning purposes. The vessel 428 includes ashoulder portion 428A that is received against the upper edge of thesupport ring 462. The cylindrical body 440 of the dispersal mechanism406 is in the form of a removable sleeve having an upper flange 440Areceived against a support member 464 so that the cylindrical body 440can be easily removed for cleaning purposes. The distribution spindle442 is also designed to be easily removed and reassembled for cleaningpurposes. The shields 450, 452 are also designed for easy removal andcleaning.

An alternative cheese station 1400, according to second embodiment, isillustrated in FIGS. 36-43. The cheese station 1400 includes a hopper1402, a volumetric measuring device 1404 that receives the cheese fromthe hopper 1402 and dumps the cheese through a dispersing mechanism 1406that distributes the cheese evenly onto the pizza dough.

The hopper 1402 includes four walls including end wall 1402A, 1402B andsidewalls 1402C, 1402D. The sidewalls 1402C, 1402D taper inward todefine a trough 1410 (FIG. 43) that receives a pair of feed screws 1412each having helical threads 1414 that are designed, upon rotation, tofeed pre-cut cheese to a central aperture 1416 in the bottom of thetrough 1410. An additional agitating drive spindle (not shown) can beprovided in the cheese hopper 1402, at a location spaced above the feedscrews 1412, in order to agitate the cheese that is received in thecheese hopper 1402 to break up any clumps therein so as to allow thecheese to be delivered to the trough portion 1410 to be fed by the feedscrews 1412 to the aperture 1416. As shown in FIG. 39, a bridge 1417 canbe disposed within the hopper 1402 above the aperture 1416 to preventcheese from falling through the central aperture 1416 in the bottom ofthe hopper 1402.

As illustrated in FIG. 28, the feed screws 1412 are driven by a motor1420 (best shown in FIG. 38) and gear train 1421. Rotation of the drivemotor 1420 causes gear train 1421 to drive the screw shafts 1412 to feedthe cheese to the aperture 1416 in the bottom of the cheese hopper 1402.The drive mechanism can be provided with a slip clutch to allow thedrive train to slip when a predetermined amount of resistance is appliedto the screw shafts 1412 so as to prevent injury to an operator, ordamage to the components.

The screw threads 1412 are designed to be connected to the gear train1421, respectively, by a hexagonal or splined mating engagement tofacilitate easy alignment and disengagement therebetween. In particular,the cheese hopper 1402 can be lifted up from the base structure 1460 tofacilitate easy cleaning of the hopper 1402 and feed screws 1412. Thegear train can be covered by a housing 1422 and base plate 1424, asshown in FIG. 38.

With reference to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 43, the cheese thatis fed through the aperture 1416 is received in a vessel 1428 of thevolumetric measuring device 1404. The volumetric measuring device 1404is operable to activate the drive motor 1420 for activating the screwthreads 1412 to feed more cheese into the vessel 1428 until apredetermined volume is received in the vessel 1428. Upon achieving thepredetermined volume, the drive motor 1420 is automatically turned off.The volumetric measuring device 1404 can include a sensor 1434 disposedat a top portion of the vessel 1428 to detect when the vessel is full.When the vessel 1428 is empty, the sensor 1434 is unobstructed and cancause an activation switch to be operated to drive the motor 1420. Asthe volume of the cheese received in the vessel 1428 obstructs thesensor 1434, the sensor 1434 deactivates the switch which then turns offthe drive motor 1420 so that no more cheese is fed through the aperture1416 in the hopper 1402.

When a pizza pan having a pizza dough and sauce thereon is presented tothe cheese station 1400 beneath the dispersing mechanism 1406, aelectric solenoid 1438 (best shown in FIG. 41) is activated to causetrap doors 1439 at the bottom of the vessel 1428 to dump its contentsthrough the cheese distribution mechanism 1406. A manual dump lever 1441can be manually pulled to release the trap doors 1439. The trap doors1439 are held shut by springs 1443, and are overcome by the activationof electric solenoid 1438 or manual lever 1441. Sensors 1445 can beprovided for detecting an open or closed state of the trap doors 1439 toensure that the screw threads are not operated unless the doors 1439 areclosed. The doors 1439 are cam operated by movement of drive plate 1447,by the electric solenoid 1438. The cheese dispersing mechanism 1406 caninclude a conical body 1440 having a plurality of apertures therein. Asdisclosed with reference to the cheese station 400 above, a dispersingshaft can be provided including a plurality of radially extending armswhich are rotated to break up the cheese clumps as the cheese is dumpedfrom the vessel 1428. As the cheese contacts the conical body 1440, thecheese is caused to disperse radially outwardly over the surface of theconical body 1440 and to pass through the various openings 1442 in theconical body 1440. The openings 1442 in the conical body 1440 are sizedand spaced to distribute the cheese as desired over the pizza dough. Anouter cylinder 1452 is disposed adjacent to the pizza dough at the baseof the conical body 1440 so as to prevent the cheese particles frombeing dispersed beyond the outer wall of the cylinder 1452 so that thecheese stays away from the outer crust of the pizza dough as desired.

The vessel 1428 is designed to be removably supported by a pin 1462 thatallows for easy removal of the vessel 1428 for cleaning purposes. Thepin 1462 extends through the top of the vessel 1428 and is disposedabove the light beam emitted by the sensor 1434 that senses when thevessel 1428 is full. The pin 1462 shields/prevents the cheese that isfed to the vessel from obstructing the sensor light beam until thevessel 1428 fills from below and subsequently obstructs the sensor lightbeam.

The conical body 1440 and outer cylinder 1452 are also designed for easyremoval and cleaning. The conical body 1440 can be supported at thelower end of the outer cylinder 1452 and the outer cylinder 1452 caninclude bayonet shaped slots 1454 for receiving support pins 1456 at theends of support arms 1458. When the cheese is being dispersed in to thepan 62, the pan can be lifted up by the lift system 1460, as shown inFIG. 36. With the upper edge of the pan 62 lifted up around the loweredges of the outer cylinder 1452 and the conical body 1440, the cheeseis maintained in the pan.

Referring now to FIGS. 8-19, details of pepperoni station 500 and theoperation of same are shown. Pepperoni station 500 is at least partiallycontained within a refrigerated compartment 504 (which can be therefrigerated compartment 900 described above) so that the pepperonisticks 506 therein are maintained in a suitable environment. Pepperonistation 500 includes a base 508 with a plurality of openings 510therethrough. A plurality of guide members 512 are attached to base 508and extend through openings 510. Guide members 512 are configured toreceive pepperoni sticks 506 through top openings 514. The upper portionof guide members 512 and base 508 are located within refrigeratedcompartment 504. The portion of guide members 512 above base 508 mayinclude a plurality of rods 511 that allow the pepperoni 506 therein toeasily communicate with the environmental conditions within refrigeratedcompartment 504. The portion of guide members 512 below base 508 mayinclude solid sleeves 513 (FIGS. 8, 14) or rods 511. The use of solidsleeves 513 can allow the conditioned air within refrigeratedcompartment 504 to maintain contact with the portion of pepperoni 506that is located below base 508 and outside of refrigerated compartment504. With the refrigerated compartment 900, the use of the sleeves belowthe base 508 is unnecessary. A motor 516 is attached to base 508 and isoperable to rotate a slicing assembly 518 that is located below the base508. Motor 516 is operable to rotate slicing assembly 518 relative tobase 508 to slice pepperoni, as described below.

Pepperoni 506 are manually loaded into guide members 512 by a worker.Access to guide members 512 can be realized through an access door inrefrigerated compartment 504/900, thereby allowing a worker to insertnew pepperoni 506 into guide members 512 or remove existing pepperonitherefrom.

Slicing assembly 518 includes a post 520 with a driven gear 522 on anend thereof for driving engagement with a drive gear 524 attached to themotor 516. Post 520 is rotatably supported within a pair of bushings 526supported by a housing 528. Post 520 can rotate within bushings 526 ascontrolled by the rotation of the drive gear 524 of the motor 516.

A central portion of a connecting arm 530 is attached to post 520.Connecting arm 530 is rotationally fixed relative to post 520 such thatconnecting arm 530 rotates with rotation of post 520. Connecting arm 530extends in a curved manner from post 520 out to the end such thatconnecting arm 530 may have a general “S” shape when viewed from above.A slicing blade 534 is rotatably supported at each end of the connectingarm 530. A slicing motor 532 includes a drive gear 536 operable to drivea driven gear 538 attached to a drive shaft 540 for driving a pair ofgear trains 542 for rotating the slicing blades 532 to slice pepperoni506, as described below. The drive shaft 540 is concentric to androtatably supported within post 520. The gear trains 542 are supportedby and housed within the connecting arm 530. It should be noted thateach of the slicing blades could alternatively be driven by separatedrive motors that could be mounted directly to the connecting arm 530.

Slicing assembly 518 includes a plate 544 attached to an end of post520. Plate 540 is rotationally fixed relative to post 520 so that plate544, connecting arm 530, and slicing blades 532 all rotate in unisonwith the rotation of post 520. Plate 544 may be generally circular inplan view with a pair of apertures or recesses (apertures are shown) 546therein corresponding with slicing blades 532. Apertures 546 areslightly larger than the dimensions of slicing blades 532 so thatpepperoni slices sliced by slicing blade 532 can fall through a gap 548therebetween and land on the dough, sauce and cheese in pan 62 beneathslicing assembly 518. Plate 544 includes an upper surface 550 upon whichthe end of pepperoni 506 rests while waiting to be sliced by slicingblades 532.

Pepperoni station 500 is configured to be easily disassembled so that aworker can clean the various components therein, as required by theapplicable food safety standards. The easy disassembly can be realizedby the use of fasteners that retain multiple components in position suchthat the removal of a single fastener may allow for the removal ofmultiple components from pepperoni station 500 for cleaning. The variouscomponents of pepperoni station 500 that come in contact with the foodcan be of a material suitable for food service use. By way ofnon-limiting example, such material includes stainless steel.

Slicing blades 532 include a single beveled edge 552 with the largestradial dimension occurring on an upper surface 554 thereof and a lowerradial dimension occurring on the lower surface 556. The upper surface554 of slicing blades 532 may be slightly above upper surface 550 ofplate 544. The distance between the upper surface 554 of slicing blade532 and upper surface 550 of plate 544 may dictate the thickness of theslices removed from pepperoni 506.

Plate 544 is spaced apart from the end of sleeves 513 such thatpepperoni 506 within guide members 512 can extend downwardly beyond theend of sleeves 513 and rest on upper surface 550.

When system 50 is utilizing pepperoni station 500, robot 60 oralternatively the rotary dial topping system 154 can move the pan 62from a position below pepperoni station 500, as shown in FIG. 15, to araised vertical position wherein the end of slicing assembly 518 islocated below a top edge 64 of pan 62, as shown in FIG. 16. The rotarydial topping system 154 includes a lift device associated with theseparate rotary platform 162. With slicing blades 532 located below topedge 64 of pan 62, the slices of pepperoni that are made from pepperonistick 506 can fall onto the dough, sauce and cheese within pan 62 in adesired location and/or orientation. When pan 62 is positioned relativeto pepperoni station 500, slicing motor 534 is operated to rotateslicing blades 532 relative to plate 544. Rotary motor 516 rotatesslicing assembly 518 relative to guide members 512 so that slicingblades 532 contact and slice through pepperoni 506. For example, asshown in FIG. 17A, in the starting position, slicing blades 532 can bein the position wherein they are not engaged with pepperoni 506. Motor516 rotates slicing assembly 518 clockwise, in the views depicted inFIG. 17, such that slicing blades 532 slice through pepperoni 506 inguide members 512 containing individual pepperoni 506, as shown in FIG.17B. Motor 516 can then rotate slicing assembly 518 counterclockwise, inthe views depicted in FIG. 17, such that slicing blades 532 engage withand slice through the groups of three pepperonis 506 in guide members512, as shown in FIG. 17C. Motor 516 can then rotate slicing assembly518 clockwise, in the views depicted in FIG. 17, to return back to astarting position, as shown in FIG. 17D. With this operation, eightslices of pepperoni are removed from pepperoni 506 within guide members512 and disposed on the dough within pan 62.

Pan 62 can be rotated or moved 45 degrees relative to pepperoni station500 by robot 60 or by rotary dial topping system 154 and the slicingoperation repeated so that another eight slices of pepperoni are appliedto the dough in pan 62. By way of example, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19,robot arm 68 can change the location of pan 62 relative to pepperonistation 500 from position 1 through positions 2 and 3 and into position4. At each position, pepperoni station 500 is operated to cut and dropeight slices of pepperoni onto the dough within pan 62. At the end ofthe operation, 32 slices of pepperoni are disposed on the dough in pan62, as indicated in FIG. 19D. Thus, in the first position, eight slicesof pepperoni are disposed on the dough in pan 62, as shown in FIG. 19A.As shown in FIG. 19B, in position 2 another eight slices of pepperoniare disposed on the dough in pan 62. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 19C,another eight slices of pepperoni are disposed onto the dough in pan 62at position 3. Finally, when in position 4, another eight slices ofpepperoni are placed on the dough in pan 62, resulting in the total of32 pepperoni slices on the dough in pan 62.

The arrangement of guide members 512 and pepperoni 506 within pepperonistation 500 can advantageously provide for a configuration wherein eachresulting slice of pizza has four entire pepperoni slices thereon. Inparticular, as shown in FIGS. 19A-19D, the resulting pizza can formeight slices. The placement of the pepperoni can be made such that theresulting pizza can be cut into eight slices wherein each slice containsexactly four whole slices of pepperoni, thereby facilitating aconsistent quality pizza. Moreover, the ability to consistently makesuch a pizza, wherein four whole slices of pepperoni can be realized oneach slice, can provide for an aesthetically pleasing appearance to thepizza and a more satiating experience in consuming the pizza. It shouldbe understood that the number of pepperoni slices applied to the pizzain each slicing operation can be varied. It is anticipated that for mostefficient operation between 3 and 8 slices of pepperoni can be appliedwith each slicing operation although more or fewer can also be utilized.

After going through pepperoni station 500, system 50 can then place pan62 in an oven 800, if a cheese-and-pepperoni pizza is desired. Ifadditional toppings are desired, system 50 can move pan 62 to otherautomated topping stations (not shown) where additional toppings can beapplied. Alternatively, as shown, robot 60 can move pan 62 to manualstation 600 where a worker can then add the additional toppings andplace the resulting pizza in the oven for baking therein.

When just a cheese pizza is desired, system 50 can skip pepperonistation 500 and place the pan 62 directly in the oven 800 after goingthrough the sauce and cheese stations 300, 400. In this manner, system50 can automatically make cheese pizzas and pepperoni pizzas withlimited interaction by a worker.

Referring now to FIG. 20, system 50 can use one or more controllers tocontrol the various components of system 50. Each controller may includeone or more modules therein to perform the described functionality. Forexample, an individual controller and/or multiple controllers containingone or more modules may be associated with the various components ineach one of the stations and with robot 60 such that the operation ofthe various stations and robot 60 are coordinated to form the desiredpizzas. In one exemplary configuration, a controller 96 communicateswith the various stations, the oven, a display 98, a worker inputstation 99, and robot 60. The communication can be two-way communicationso that various information and instructions can be relayed between thecontroller 96 and the various components and stations. The worker inputstation 99 can allow a worker to input desired instructions orprogramming for controller 96 and/or the various modules utilized bycontroller 96 and/or the other components and stations. Display 98 canfunction to provide visual indication information to the worker on theoperation of system 50 and/or the individual components or stations. Thevarious components can include sensors that enable the detection of pan62 within rack station 100 on the oven and stacked in manual station600. In this manner, robot 60 can retrieve pan 62 containing dough fromrack station 100 and prevent overloading of the oven or manual station600 when an existing pan 62 would interfere with the placement of a newpan 62.

System 50 may be configured to provide a small foot print wherein system50 can be installed in existing retail locations without requiringadditional retail space or enlarging of the preparation area. The system50 can be separated into easily movable modules wherein the rotary dialtopping system 154 including the sauce station 300, the cheese stations400, the pepperoni station 500, the rotary platform as well as therefrigerated enclosure 900 can be provided as a single module as shownin FIG. 44 that can be supported on a plurality of wheels 902 formobility. Likewise, the rack system 100, manual station 600, conveyorstation 700, robot 60 and oven 800 can each be separately movablemodules that can be easily transported and/or moved on wheels within agiven space.

Thus, an automated pizza assembly system 50 according to the presentdisclosure can automate various steps in the pizza making process. Theautomation can advantageously provide consistent pizza while decreasingthe man hours required to produce the pizzas. Additionally, theautomated pizza assembly system 50 according to the present disclosurecan be easily disassembled for cleaning. Moreover, the automated pizzaassembly system 50 can make a robust simplistic design wherein the easeof operation, maintenance, and use is realized.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features ofa particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particularembodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be usedin a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for assembling a pizza, theapparatus comprising: a pizza sauce spreading station; a cheesespreading station; a pepperoni applying station; a rack station havingmultiple racks, each rack sized and arranged to receive multiple pizzapans in a vertically spaced apart or side-by-side orientation; and arotary platform supported to rotate about a vertical axis and includinga plurality of pan receiving locations concentrically disposed about thevertical axis, the rotary platform arranged to rotate a pizza panreceived in at least one of the plurality of pan receiving locationsfrom the rack station between the cheese spreading station and thepepperoni applying station, wherein the cheese spreading station, thepizza sauce spreading station, the pepperoni applying station, and therack station are each arranged about the vertical axis of the rotaryplatform.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cheesespreading station and the pepperoni applying station are each disposedwithin a refrigerated enclosure.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising a robot arm movable to remove a pizza pan from therack system and place the pizza pan on the rotary platform.
 4. Theapparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of panreceiving locations of the rotary platform includes a separate rotaryplatform adapted for receiving a pizza pan thereon and rotating the panwithin the pepperoni applying station.
 5. The apparatus according toclaim 4, wherein the rotary platform and the separate rotary platformare each rotatably driven by a motor.
 6. An apparatus for assembling apizza, the apparatus comprising: a pizza sauce spreading station havinga stationary nozzle dispensing pizza sauce, the stationary nozzlecomprising: a nozzle body having a wall portion and an inlet openingconfigured to receive a pizza-sauce-supply pipe tube or conduit; adistributor having apertures in a pattern configured to provide adesired pizza sauce distribution; and a clamp configured to engage withthe nozzle body and the distributor when the clamp is tightened; and arobot including: a stationary base; an articulating robot arm disposedon the stationary base and including a plurality of segments that allowarticulation about various axes, the articulating robot arm arrangedproximate the pizza sauce spreading station at a location where the armmoves a pan having pizza dough therein through the pizza sauce spreadingstation and manipulate the pan beneath the nozzle of the pizza saucespreading station to realize a desired coverage of sauce on the pizzadough; and a gripper attached to an end of the articulating robot armand operable to grip the pan.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6,wherein the robot arm is controlled to manipulate the pan in a firstcircle relative to the nozzle of the pizza sauce spreading station, thenozzle distributing sauce along a band adjacent to an outer crust of thepizza dough, the robot arm controlled to move the pan relative to thenozzle in a second circle, smaller than the first circle, the nozzledistributing a second concentric band of sauce onto the pizza dough. 8.An apparatus for assembling a pizza, the apparatus comprising: apepperoni applying station; and a robot including: a stationary base; anarticulating robot arm disposed on the stationary base and including aplurality of segments that allow articulation about various axes, thearticulating robot arm arranged proximate the pepperoni applying stationat a location where the arm moves a pan having pizza dough therein to aplurality of positions within the pepperoni applying station, thepepperoni applying station slicing and applying pepperoni to the pizzadough at each of the plurality of positions; a gripper attached to anend of said articulating robot arm and operable to grip the pan, thegripper including an upper gripper portion having a first upper thumband a first lower finger, and a lower gripper portion having a secondupper thumb and a second lower finger.
 9. The apparatus according toclaim 8, wherein the robot arm places the pan in the pepperoni applyingstation wherein pepperoni is sliced and applied to the pizza dough. 10.An apparatus for assembling a pizza, the apparatus comprising: a rackstation having multiple racks, each rack sized and arranged to receivemultiple pizza pans in a vertically spaced apart or side-by-sideorientation, the pizza pans having dough therein; a pizza saucespreading station; a cheese spreading station; a pepperoni applyingstation, the pepperoni applying station slicing and applying pepperonito the pizza dough of pizza pan received by the pepperoni applyingstation; a rotary dial system including: a pan receiver horizontallysupported for receiving a pan having pizza dough therein; and a rotatorrotating the pan receiver about a vertical axis between the cheesespreading station and the pepperoni applying station; and a robotincluding: a stationary base; an articulating robot arm disposed on thestationary base and including a plurality of segments that allowarticulation about various axes, the articulating robot arm arrangedproximate the rack station, the pizza sauce spreading station, thecheese spreading station, and the peperoni applying station at alocation where the articulating arm moves the pan between the rackstation, the pizza sauce spreading station, the cheese spreadingstation, and the pepperoni station; and a gripper attached to an end ofarticulating robot arm and operable to grip the pan having pizza doughtherein.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the pizzasauce spreading station includes a nozzle that is stationary while therobot arm manipulates the pan beneath the nozzle to realize a desiredcoverage of sauce on the pizza dough.
 12. The apparatus according toclaim 11, wherein the robot arm manipulates the pan in a first circlerelative to the nozzle of the pizza sauce spreading station, the nozzledistributing sauce along a band adjacent to an outer crust of the pizzadough, the robot arm also moves the pan relative to the nozzle in asecond circle, smaller than the first circle, the nozzle distributing asecond concentric band of sauce onto the pizza dough.
 13. The apparatusaccording to claim 10, wherein the rotary dial system places the pan inthe cheese spreading station wherein a measured amount of cheese isdispersed on the pizza dough.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 10,wherein the rotary dial system places the pan in the pepperoni applyingstation wherein pepperoni is sliced and applied to the pizza dough. 15.The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the rotary dial systemmoves the pan to a plurality of positions within the pepperoni applyingstation wherein pepperoni is sliced and applied to the pizza dough atthe plurality of positions.
 16. An apparatus for assembling pizzas, theapparatus comprising: a rack module comprising multiple racks forstoring pizza pans therein, each rack arranged to receive multiple pizzapans in a vertically spaced apart or side-by-side orientation; an oven;a rotary dial system disposed in a refrigerated compartment andincluding: a cheese spreading station; a pepperoni spreading station; apan receiver horizontally supported for receiving a pizza pan havingpizza dough therein; a rotator rotating the pan receiver about avertical axis between the cheese spreading station and the pepperoniapplying station, the cheese spreading station and the pepperonispreading station concentrically disposed about the vertical axis; andan articulating robot arm moving pizza pans from the rack module to therotary dial system and from the rotary dial system to the oven.
 17. Theapparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a manual stationwith a work surface and rack storage for receiving pizza pans from therobot arm, the manual station further including storage pins for holdingpizza toppings to be manually applied to the pizzas.
 18. The apparatusaccording to claim 6, wherein the gripper comprises: an upper thumbconfigured to mate with an upper lip of the pan; and a lower fingerconfigured to be received under the pan.
 19. The apparatus according toclaim 6, wherein the gripper includes: an upper gripper portion having afirst upper thumb and a first lower finger; and a lower gripper portionhaving a second upper thumb and a second lower finger.
 20. The apparatusaccording to claim 6, wherein the pizza sauce spreading station is atleast partially housed within a refrigerated compartment.
 21. Theapparatus according to claim 8, wherein the gripper comprises: an upperthumb configured to mate with an upper lip of the pan; and a lowerfinger configured to be received under the pan.
 22. The apparatusaccording to claim 8, wherein the pepperoni applying station, comprises:a base having a plurality of openings; at least one guide memberoperable to receive pepperoni sticks; and a slicing assembly for slicingthe pepperoni sticks.
 23. The apparatus according to claim 22, whereinthe slicing assembly comprises: a rotatable post; at least one slicingblade directly or indirectly connected to the rotatable post; and aplate upon which an end of the pepperoni sticks rests during thepepperoni slicing.
 24. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein thepepperoni applying station is at least partially housed within arefrigerated compartment.
 25. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the pepperoni applying station, comprises: a base having aplurality of openings; at least one guide member operable to receivepepperoni sticks; and a slicing assembly for slicing the pepperonisticks.
 26. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pizza saucespreading station includes a stationary nozzle that comprises: a nozzlebody having a wall portion and an inlet opening configured to receive apizza-sauce-supply pipe tube or conduit; a distributor having aperturesin a pattern configured to provide a desired pizza sauce distribution;and a clamp configured to engage with the nozzle body and thedistributor when the clamp is tightened.
 27. The apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the cheese spreading station comprises: a hopper; ameasuring device operable to receive cheese from the hopper; and adispersing mechanism operable to receive cheese from the measuringdevice and operable to distribute cheese within the pizza pan.
 28. Theapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotary platform includes apizza-receiving side, and wherein the vertical axis, about which therotary platform rotates, intersects the pizza-receiving side of theplatform.
 29. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pizzasauce spreading station, the cheese spreading station, and the pepperoniapplying station are concentrically disposed about the vertical axis.